{ "version": "https://jsonfeed.org/version/1.1", "title": "Retro Garden", "home_page_url": "https://retro-garden-eleventy-theme-6teb2u98o-kylereddochs-projects.vercel.app", "feed_url": "https://retro-garden-eleventy-theme-6teb2u98o-kylereddochs-projects.vercel.app/feed.json", "description": "Retro Garden is an open source Eleventy theme that blends IndieWeb publishing habits with bright, hand-made early-web energy.", "authors": [ { "name": "Your Name", "url": "https://retro-garden-eleventy-theme-6teb2u98o-kylereddochs-projects.vercel.app" } ], "items": [ { "id": "https://retro-garden-eleventy-theme-6teb2u98o-kylereddochs-projects.vercel.app/journal/palette-tour-and-layout-switches/", "url": "https://retro-garden-eleventy-theme-6teb2u98o-kylereddochs-projects.vercel.app/journal/palette-tour-and-layout-switches/", "title": "Palette Tour and Layout Switches", "summary": "The starter now shows how the same structure can feel different through palette choices and sidebar toggles.", "content_html": "

One of the nicest things about a personal-site theme is when the same structure can hold several moods without turning into three separate codebases.

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In this starter, that mostly comes down to two decisions:

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Palette choice changes tone fast #

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Ember feels warm and familiar. Surf feels cooler and more technical. Mint feels a little more zine-like and homegrown.

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The layout should stay recognizable even when the color story changes.

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Sidebars should be optional #

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Not every page needs a second column. Standalone pages now render full width by default, and only create a sidebar when the page front matter explicitly asks for it.

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---\nlayout: layouts/page.njk\ntitle: Notes\nsidebarTitle: links.txt\nsidebar: |\n  - Add any supporting links here\n  - Or leave both fields out for a full-width page\n---
\n

The goal is to make layout choices feel intentional rather than inherited by accident.

\n", "date_published": "2026-04-08T00:00:00.000Z", "tags": [ "design", "palettes", "pages" ] }, { "id": "https://retro-garden-eleventy-theme-6teb2u98o-kylereddochs-projects.vercel.app/journal/the-small-web-toolkit/", "url": "https://retro-garden-eleventy-theme-6teb2u98o-kylereddochs-projects.vercel.app/journal/the-small-web-toolkit/", "title": "The Small-Web Toolkit", "summary": "A quick tour of the pieces that make this starter feel current without sanding off its handmade vibe.", "content_html": "

The stack here is intentionally practical.

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Eleventy handles the publishing flow. WebC gives us reusable little interface chunks. is-land keeps optional JavaScript from becoming a tax on every page view. eleventy-plugin-og-image makes social cards part of the build instead of a separate design chore.

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I also wanted a setup that feels open to tinkering:

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    \n
  1. Markdown posts should stay first-class.
    2. \n
  2. Tag URLs should stay clean and predictable.
    3. \n
  3. Feeds should exist automatically.
    4. \n
  4. Accessibility checks should fit into the normal workflow.
    5. \n
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That combination is more interesting to me than a theme that looks polished in screenshots but feels brittle the moment you try to make it your own.

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---\ntitle: A New Entry\ndescription: This file lives in src/posts/\npostSidebar: false\ntags:\n  - post\n  - eleventy\n---
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That postSidebar: false flag is small, but it is the kind of thing that makes a starter feel considerate to edit.

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Here are a few more examples from the kinds of files this starter is made of:

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import EleventyFetch from \"@11ty/eleventy-fetch\";\n\nconst data = await EleventyFetch(\"https://registry.npmjs.org/@11ty/eleventy/latest\", {\n  duration: \"1d\",\n  type: \"json\"\n});
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<nav class=\"accent-picker\" aria-label=\"Switch the accent palette\">\n  <a href=\"?theme=ember\">ember</a>\n  <a href=\"?theme=surf\">surf</a>\n  <a href=\"?theme=mint\">mint</a>\n</nav>
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.author-panel {\n  border: 2px solid var(--color-line);\n  background: linear-gradient(180deg, rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.92), var(--accent-soft));\n}
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npm install\nnpm run start
\n", "date_published": "2026-04-07T00:00:00.000Z", "tags": [ "eleventy", "webc", "accessibility" ] }, { "id": "https://retro-garden-eleventy-theme-6teb2u98o-kylereddochs-projects.vercel.app/journal/when-retro-stops-being-a-gimmick/", "url": "https://retro-garden-eleventy-theme-6teb2u98o-kylereddochs-projects.vercel.app/journal/when-retro-stops-being-a-gimmick/", "title": "When Retro Stops Being a Gimmick", "summary": "A 90s-inspired layout works best when it supports the writing instead of distracting from it.", "content_html": "

The trick with retro web design is not to recreate every flashing banner and beveled button. It is to remember why those pages felt alive.

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For this theme, that means:

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Keep the nostalgia structural #

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Window chrome, badge walls, and status strips create atmosphere. The actual reading surface still needs to be calm.

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Let accessibility be part of the style #

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Visible focus rings, roomy line-height, and strong color contrast are not “modern compromises.” They are what let the weird parts stay charming instead of exhausting.

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If the visual joke makes the page harder to use, the joke has overstayed its welcome.

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Make customization obvious #

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If somebody opens this starter and can instantly find the site data, post content, and panel components, the design becomes an invitation instead of a trap.

\n", "date_published": "2026-04-04T00:00:00.000Z", "tags": [ "design", "tailwind" ] }, { "id": "https://retro-garden-eleventy-theme-6teb2u98o-kylereddochs-projects.vercel.app/journal/view-source-stay-human/", "url": "https://retro-garden-eleventy-theme-6teb2u98o-kylereddochs-projects.vercel.app/journal/view-source-stay-human/", "title": "View Source, Stay Human", "summary": "Why a hand-made site still feels more generous than an infinitely optimized profile page.", "content_html": "

The older web had rough edges, but it also made room for personality. You could tell when a page had been made by a person rather than tuned by a growth team.

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That is still the energy I want in a modern personal site:

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My baseline checklist #

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If a theme claims to support the small web, I want to see a few boring, practical things working before I care about the screenshots:

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The IndieWeb ethos helps because it asks practical questions. Can I own the URL? Can I move hosts without losing myself? Can other people follow this site without an account?

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READ THE FEED

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That little button is a shortcode, and this whole post is plain markdown. The fancy bits should stay optional.

\n", "date_published": "2026-04-01T00:00:00.000Z", "tags": [ "indieweb", "publishing" ] } ] }